Twilight's Got Talent
by sweetcrimefighter
Summary: America's Got Talent: Twilight Style. Alice, Edward and Emmett as judges. Rosalie and Bella as contestants. What will happen? Better than it sounds. Please please read. Thanks. Rated T for now, might change.
1. Chapter 1: Auditions and Surprises

_**Summary: America's Got Talent: Twilight Style. Alice, Edward and Emmett as judges. Rosalie and Bella as contestants. What will happen???**_

**_A/N: I know, another story, but I had this idea stuck in my head all day and just had to write it. I hope you like it._**

**Twilight's Got Talent**

**Chapter 1: Auditions and surprises**

**Edward POV**

God, I was SO bored! Another day of watching thousands of people perform meaningless acts. Some acts were good, some great even, but most were just crap. I couldn't understand how some people came up this stage and said they were as good as Sarah Mclachlan or Celine Dion or whatever artist they named, while they simply sucked. I couldn't understand how some people were so convinced they had a talent while their so called 'act' sucked beyond the telling of it.

Today had been plain torture so far, everyone blowed - most were tremendous to watch today. So far, only 10 acts had gone through during the first 5 hours of judging. If I didn't have my best friend, Emmett, and sister, Alice, with me on the judging panel, I swear I thought I'd go crazy. They were the only ones keeping me sane through all this. Though it was their fault I had even signed up to do this in the first place - I just couldn't refuse them and it was biting me in the ass now.

We had just send away one of the worst acts I had ever seen - a 58 year old woman who thought she could break dance, sing and paint at the same time. Seriously, how crazy could people get? I was already dreading the next act while Alice and Emmett were still as energetic and happy as when we started - I had no idea how they did it.

A tall, pretty blond walked on the stage - she was wearing high heeled shoes, short red shorts and a white tank top - Emmett whistled and Alice bounced up and down in her seat - she was probably one of those girls who got whomever and whatever she wanted just with her looks; she wasn't my type though, no one was - I didn't date. I wasn't gay or anything, I was just waiting for the right woman to come along and for now I was happy on my own - I was only 26 years old, after all, I had time.

"Hi, I'm Alice, this is Edward and Emmett, and you are?" Alice introduced us; I chuckled, everyone knew who we were, no introductions were required, but Alice and Emmett for that matter, seemed to enjoy doing it, so I let them. Alice was a famous dance choreographer and had her own clothing line - she, and I of course, came from a lot of money. Emmett started his career as a famous rugby player and later moved on to producing records; he had brought forth many great artists - he had a great sense for new talent. I was a singer/song writer. So far, I had 3 golden records - I had made over 50 million in the last year alone and apparently, I had the looks that made me wanted by all the girls even some guys.

"My name is Rosalie Hale," the blond, now known as Rosalie, replied - she had a pleasant voice, she seemed friendly, I thought.

"Hi Rose, is it okay if I call you Rose?" Emmett asked as he drooled over this girl; I rolled my eyes, we were supposed to act as judges, but it seemed only I took the job seriously. Rosalie nodded and flashed Emmett a wide smile, which he returned, gladly.

"What is your act, Rosalie?" I asked, wanting to get this over with. She may be pretty, but I doubted she had any real talent, few had real talent on this show.

"I'm a dancer," she replied; I nodded and told her to proceed. After several seconds, the song Right Round by Flo Rida started playing. Rosalie started to move and I had to admit I was impressed. Her moves were really good and advanced, though I had no idea how she was able to dance the way she did in high heels; that had to have required lots of practice. She even did a few flips and spinned round on her head. It had taken the crowd just several seconds before they were on their feet and cheering like they hadn't cheered all day; even Alice and Emmett were on their feet from almost the start. By the end of it, I too had gotten on my feet and was clapping my hands with much excitement - this girl was amazing.

When the audience - and Alice and especially Emmett - had calmed down and we were in our seats again, we judged her. Alice was the first to speak, since she was the expert in the dance area.

"Waw, Rose, that was fantastic! I'm very impressed with your moves and especially your ability to do that all on those high heeled shoes, which are amazing btw. How long did it take you to learn to dance on those heels?" She asked, Rosalie smiled at the comment she was given and answered, "It took me about 2 years to learn how to dance on heels; it's easy once you get the hang of it." Alice nodded and continued, "Who taught you the routine?" She asked, Rosalie smiled and said she always put her own routines together; I had to say I was a little shocked. "Astonishing. Well, Rosalie, I can honestly say that you will go a long way in this competition. I wouldn't be surprised if you won; you're officially my favorite act," Alice finished, Rosalie thanked her and listened to Emmett's comments.

"Can I first say, Rose, that you're smoking hot!" Emmett said, my eyes almost popped out of my head, Emmett had never acted so unprofessional - I was even more stunned when Rosalie said the same to Emmett. What the hell was going on here?! I thought this was supposed to be a talent show, not a dating service!

"I can't ad much more to Alice's comments; I completely agree with her. You're by far the best contestant in this competition, and my favorite as well." He said, I couldn't argue with that, it was the truth.

"Rosalie, when you first came on, I didn't expect much and neither did the crowd, I think. You turned this whole room upside down and stunned us all with your performance. That said, I think we shouldn't even bother voting and just put you through to the next round," I said, by which Alice and Emmett agreed.

"Thank you so very much," Rosalie said before she walked of stage, being given yet another standing ovation by the public and us judges - she truly was the best contestant so far. For once, I was glad to be judging this show - she made me remember why I was doing this; to find talent and help bring it out.

After that, the auditions seemed to be on a roll, one great act after another came on stage, with occasionally a bad act in between, but my mood had been good ever since the Hale girl. Finally, we were at the final audition of the day.

A short girl about 5'4" and brown hair walked on the stage carrying a guitar in her hands - a singer. She was wearing plain jeans and a blue T-shirt, which complimented her. I noticed she was very pale and shaking a bit, was she sick? No, probably just nervous. I also noticed Alice' nose crinkling in distaste at the girl's fashion sense; though I thought she looked great. Then, she looked me straight in the eye and I was overthrown by the beauty and depth of her big brown, chocolate eyes. It was as if I could look straight in her soul; she seemed sad to me, somehow and I didn't like that. I had no idea why I didn't like that or why I felt the sudden need to take her in my arms and protect her from the world; it had me very confused.

Emmett introduced us this time, though I hardly heard a word he said - I was mesmerized by this girl who's name I didn't even know.

"What is your name and where are you from?" Alice asked then, she had gotten over her disapproval of the girl's clothes and was back to her normal, energetic self. Then the girl spoke, "My name is Isabella Swan, but I prefer Bella and I'm from a small town called Forks in Washington." Her voice was the most beautiful I had ever heard in my life, even when it was shaking as it was now. And her name, it was perfect, I loved it. My heart went in overdrive, I couldn't control my emotions at all and I had no idea how or why she was getting such a ridiculous reaction from me.

"Just start whenever you're ready, Bella," Emmett said by which Bella nodded and prepared herself to sing. She closed her eyes and started playing the song on her guitar - she never opened her eyes once as she played - and I immediately recognized the song as Fallen by Sarah Mclachlan - a great song.

When she opened her eyes and suddenly began to sing, the crowd was on their feet in an instant - they were cheering even harder than they were for the Hale girl. She sang the lyrics with such passion and beauty; I had never heard a voice like hers, she was amazing.

_'Heaven Bend to take my hand  
And lead me through the fire  
Let it be the long awaited answer  
To a long and painful fight  
Truth be told I tried my best  
But somewhere along the way  
I got caught up in all there was to offer  
And the cost was so much more than I could pay_

Though I've tried I've fallen  
I have sunk so low  
I messed up  
Better I should've known  
So don't come round here and  
Tell me I told you so

_I messed up  
Better I should know  
So don't come round here and  
Tell me I told you so  
I messed up  
Better I should know  
So don't come round here and  
Tell me I told you so'_

I noticed Emmett and Alice were on their feet too by the time she finished, but I was frozen in place as I watched Bella as she blushed the most beautiful red blush I had ever seen. The cheering subsided a little and Emmett began judging her.

"Bella, I can honestly say I did _not _expect a voice like that to come from a tiny girl such as you - amazing." He said, it was shorter than his usual comments, but I didn't pay attention to it - I just continued to watch Bella as she thanked him and blushed even more; I had no idea a person could blush as much as she did.

"Bella, I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed by your fashion sense when you came on stage, but you completely won me over with your performance. I was almost crying, which doesn't happen often, I'll tell you. You have an amazing talent and an enormous chance at winning," Alice said, by which I smiled, I would like this girl to win. Why? I had no idea, I was an emotional wreck when it came to Bella and I didn't even know her.

When Alice nudged me in the side, I realized I still hadn't commented on her performance, but I couldn't seem to find my voice; it was lost somewhere in my mind. "Edward? Edward!" Alice yelled, still, I did not speak, I was unable to, so Alice spoke in my place.

"Eh, Bella, it seems you've stunned my big brother into silence, which is a first, I must say. I can safely say he liked your performance, a lot by the looks of it." Alice said and looked at me - I kept my eyes on Bella. She was staring at me now, and I saw her eyes widen a little and her blush increasing - I probably startled her by the way I was looking at her, but I couldn't look away.

"Let's vote...," Emmett said, his voice a little unsure; he had never seen me like this, neither had Alice - I had never been like this.

"It's a big yes from me," Emmett said, I smiled, I was glad she was going to go through - though I still had no idea why I had to be glad. Bella was still staring at me and it seemed as if she too didn't quite hear what Emmett or Alice were saying.

"It's a 100% yes from me," Alice chimed in her high pitched, sweet sounding voice. I simply nodded, knowing they were looking at me - again, Alice answered in my place. "Hey, we got a nod out of him, so it's 3 yeses, you're going through to the next round Bella," Alice almost sang, she was always so exited when she send someone through.

Finally, much to my dismay, Bella tore her eyes from me, thanked us and walked back off stage. Alice asked me something, but I was still thinking of the girl and blocked all the rest out. It was as if she had put me in some sort of weird trance - it was uncanning and felt so good at the same time. I would figure out why she had such a pull toward me, I needed to know.

**_A/N: So, that was the first chapter, I hope you liked it and please do tell me what you think and if I should continue or not. Thanks._**


	2. Chapter 2: Better Days

_**A/N: So, second chapter already, yay! The auditions and live shows were a bit different here, and they are allowed to sing a full song and stuff. Don't kill me for changing the rules a bit. Thanks and enjoy.**_

**Chapter 2: Better Days**

**Edward POV**

It had been two weeks since Bella Sawn's audition and I still couldn't get her out of my mind. Her auditions was shown a lot in the news and on several TV-shows - partly due to her voice, but mostly due to the fact that I was sitting there like a mute idiot. Alice and Emmett had bugged me about it on more than one occasion; they wanted to know what happened. I couldn't answer their questions - I couldn't even answer my own questions. Truth was, I had no idea what happened.

All I knew was that I had been very anxiously awaiting this day for the past two weeks - the day of Bella's second audition; the day where I would see her again. For now, I would take all the weird feelings without complaint, as long as it meant I got to be around the most enchanting girl I had ever met.

**Bella POV**

It had been two weeks since my audition on America's Got Talent and I had never expected it would change my life so rapidly and so much. My audition had been shown on TV a lot; everywhere I went in Forks, people were talking about it. I didn't really care about their gossip or anything; I auditioned for myself and no one else. I didn't care about everyone else's opinions.

I had, however, been slightly weirded out right after my audition. After I had sung and it appeared people liked me, I had looked into Edward Cullen's eyes and was mesmerized by the depth of them. They were beautiful, green, emerald eyes in which I could get lost in forever. But that wasn't what weirded me out the most or why the media couldn't stop talking about my audition. The reason I had become such a local celebrity in such a short amount of time was because of Edward. He hadn't spoken a word since I stepped on stage and when the time came to judge me, it appeared he had been speechless. I was flattered by that, but apparently it wasn't something that occurred often. Never even. So, it gave me a few things to think about.

I talked about it to Angela Weber, my closest friend in Forks, and she told me she thought he reacted the way he did because he liked me - liked me liked me, she thought. I laughed aloud when she told me that; it was the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. We dropped the issue after that, though I still thought about it every minute I wasn't practicing or writing.

I wrote my own songs, but had been to afraid to sing one during my first audition, so I sang a Sarah Mclachlan song which meant a lot to me. Angela eventually convinced me to sing one of my own songs during my second audition. I had thought about my song choice a lot and with much deliberation and had finally chosen one of my earlier songs, which I would be playing on my keyboard.

Charlie, my father and Chief of police of Forks, was very proud of me. He had always told me how beautiful he thought my voice and songs were and that I should do something with it; he was glad I finally took him up on his advice.

Today was my second audition and I was in the waiting room, listening to some of my favorite song, relaxing. Charlie wanted to come with me, but there were some bear problems in the forest near my home and some missing hikers, so he had to investigate that. I told him I'd be fine on my own, just as I was during the first audition. I was a little nervous though, to see Edward again. There was something about him, something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

He made me feel a little electric, as if someone was sending shocks through my body with a Taser or something. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, just unusual. I had never felt anything like that in my 24 years of existence. It was strangely exiting.

"Numbers 1547, 2134, 2458 and 2947, please follow me," A female voice spoke, pulling me from my deep thoughts - my number was 2458, I was almost up. I felt the nerves creeping it's way back into my system as I put my Ipod away and grabbed my suitcase which held my keyboard. I followed the tall lady with long, wavy, brown hair into one of the back rooms and sat down as she told us to wait here until our number was called.

I was getting more agitated as the minutes seemed to drag on and on, and the dark haired guy sitting next to me - tapping his foot in a steady rhythm - wasn't helping any. I realized I was started to panic as I thought I might forget my own lyrics or how to play the music I composed for it - I was afraid I would forget how to speak even. These nerves were basically the same as I had right before the first audition, but knowing that did little to comfort me.

Finally, it was my turn as the same woman from before called out my number and told me to follow. She led me to a large audition room - pretty similar to the one of my first audition - where the judges were waiting.

Emmett McCarty was sitting on the right, as usual, wearing a plain, but expensive-looking, blue jeans and white T-shirt. Next to him sat the short pixie-like woman, Alice Cullen, who had commented on my lack of styling last time. She was wearing a tight, dark purple, low cut dress which showed of some cleavage. It was nice looking and not too tacky; it clung to her body in all the right ways a dress should. I figured it was probably one of her own designs. Next to her sat the man I had been thinking about for the past 2 weeks - Edward Cullen. He was wearing a pair of black pants, a light blue shirt and a blue jeans vest. I didn't look at his face as I was afraid to choke up completely and get lost in his eyes as I did last time after I sang.

I set up my keyboard and waited for one of them to speak; I was sure they hadn't forgotten who I was - how could they, with all the media attention my audition got?

"Hello, Bella, it's nice to see you again. What will you be singing for us today?" Alice was the one to ask as she looked from me, to the keyboard, to Edward who seemed to be avoiding my gaze at all cost as well.

"Eh, I'm singing a song I wrote and composed," I said, my voice trembling with nerves. I knew my voice would even out when I sang - that was my normal routine - but it didn't help now.

"You write your own music?" I looked up at the sound of the voice - Edward's voice. It was the first time I had heard him speak in person. I had heard him speak on TV and the radio and heard his songs (which I really liked, not that I would admit that), but I had no idea his velvet voice sounded so magical, so charming. It was the most beautiful voice I ever heard. I stopped my track of thoughts right there - I had to focus on my performance, not on Edward freaking Cullen!

"Yes, since I was 6," I replied, looking at Alice and Emmett, not wanting to get lost in him again. "Why didn't you sing one of your own songs last time?" Emmett was now the one to ask, I sighed, I had expected this question, but I didn't like answering it.

"My music is very personal, and I guess I was scared to show it to the world. There's only one person in the world who's heard me play my own songs - she's the one that convinced me I should sing them during this competition," I said, Alice and Emmett nodded while Edward seemed to have gone back to his frozen state. Alice told me to begin and I nodded.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and pictured myself in my basement back home - alone and accompanied by my music and nothing other to bother me. I exhaled, opened my eyes, and sang.

_'And you ask me what I want this year  
And I try to make this kind and clear  
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days  
Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings  
And desire and love and empty things  
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days'_

The words came out very fluently and I played like I had never played before. In this moment in time, nothing else existed but me and my music. I loved this feeling.__

'So take these words  
And sing out loud  
Cuz everyone is forgiven now  
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

I need someplace simple where we could live  
And something only you can give  
And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive  
And the one poor child who saved this world  
And there's 10 million more who probably could  
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them

So take these words  
And sing out loud  
Cuz everyone is forgiven now  
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again

I wish everyone was loved tonight  
And somehow stop this endless fight  
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words  
And sing out loud  
Cuz everyone is forgiven now  
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again  
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again'

By the time I had finished, a traitor tear was making it's way down my cheek - I hated that I always seemed to cry when I felt a strong emotion of some sort. I clearly remembered the time I wrote this song and why I wrote it; it made me feel a little sad, but good at the same time.

I wrote it during a rather tough period in my life; it was before my mom married Phill - my stepfather - and she was having trouble finding a job after leaving Charlie - my father - and taking me and moved us to Phoenix. I guess I sort of blamed her for our bad financial state; she wasn't exactly the most responsible person alive. But then I started thinking about all the bad stuff in the world and how so many people had it so much worse than us - that's when I wrote it.

I looked at the judges and saw Emmett's mouth hanging open in awe and Alice was crying - she was actually crying! Edward seemed to be in shock or something, but I didn't linger too much on him. I waited for someone to speak.

Minutes must have passed and no-one said a word - it was rather nerve-wrecking. Finally, Emmett decided to put me out of my misery and spoke, "Waw, Bella, that was absolutely unbelievable. Those lyrics were very moving and you sang it perfectly. I loved the music as well, very well done," he said, I smiled and blushed - I always seemed to blush when put on the spot - before turning my attention on Alice who was busy wiping away her tears.

"That was so sad! My god, how did you come up with those lyrics? When did you write this?" She asked in a rush; I had to concentrate very hard to understand every word she said.

"I wrote this when I was 9," I said, I remember the exact day, too - I remembered all the dates I ever wrote a new song or started to write a new one - it wasn't something I could easily forget.

"Waw, I don't know what to say but that, fantastic," she complimented me - I blushed even more. And just as last time, when I turned my attention to hear Edward's opinion, he seemed to be on another planet, not on this earth. I heard and saw Alice sigh in frustration.

"Well, either golden boy over here is pissed 'cause you're more talented than him-" she smirked as she said this and looked at her brother, he didn't give her the time of day, he just continued to stare at me. "-or you've put some magic wammy on him, because I've never seen him act so strange. Anyway, thank you for mesmerizing us with this beautiful performance and we'll let you know if you've made the semi-finals, later," she said, I nodded, grabbed my keyboard and walked out of stage, out of the room.

My thoughts were swirling around what Alice had said about Edward's apparent, unusual behavior. She wasn't the only one who was wondering what it was about. I was wondering too, well, obsessing might have been a better word. I wasn't even thinking about how good my audition went or the great comments I received - my thoughts were occupied by Edward and Edward alone.

**Edward POV**

I was stunned, once again, as she sang the most amazing song I'd ever heard - the lyrics were amazing. It was unbelievable that she had wrote and composed the music herself, she was such a wonder. And to hear she wrote it at age 9 was mind blowing!

She truly was a mystery - her voice - her music - how she managed to put me in a trance every time I saw her - I had never met such a person as her. I was utterly and completely intoxicated with Isabella Swan and I didn't even know why. Unbelievable!

_**A/N: I hope you liked it and please do tell me what you think, thanks!**_


	3. Chapter 3: MY Bella, MY Edward ?

**Chapter 3: MY Bella, MY Edward ?!?**

**Alice POV**

The Swan girl had an amazing voice and a great writing talent, as it turned out. I had actually cried when she sang her song, Better Days - it was so touching, I couldn't help myself. And, just as the last audition, Edward remained speechless. Well, he had asked her one question before she sang, but after that, it was welcome-back-catatonic-boy Edward.

I had never seen my big brother act like that, ever! And it was most definitely connected to Isabella Swan. I would find out what was going through his mind, even if it was the last thing I ever did!

So, when Bella walked of stage, I turned toward Edward who was still staring at the spot Bella had stood on just seconds earlier. "Edward, what the hell is going on with you?" I asked, waving my hand infront of his face to get his attention. He finally turned toward me with a look of utter confusion on his face and shrugged. I groaned. I loved his stupid ass, but sometimes he could be so annoying! He never wanted to tell me anything too personal - he was so secritive, it pissed me off at times.

"Let him be, Alice," Emmett warned me. I was shocked - Emmett never butted in, unless he was making jokes and he sure as hell wasn't joking now. I sighed, utterly frustrated, and crossed my arms, waiting for the next act to appear.

I may have surrendered for the moment, but this wasn't over by a long shot!

**Emmett POV**

I never told Alice to mind her own buisines; I usually helped her pick at Edward's thoughts, but something told me this wasn't the right time for the Spanish Inquisition. So, I stopped her, possibly pissing her off in the proces.

Alice seemed to be blind as to what was going on - which was a first, since Alice usually saw everything and sometimes knew things she shouldn't - but I had a faint idea as to why Edward was reacting this way to Bella. He liked her! It was obvious, well, to me, apparently not so much to the rest of America; they were as baffled as Alice. I doubted even Edward knew the reason behind his strange behavior - he was probably racking his brain at this very moment to find some kind of answer. I would have to have a man to man talk with him later - off camera, of course.

Meanwhile, I was looking forward to the moment I would see Rosalie Hale again. She was pretty damn hot and I wouldn't mind having a piece of that. I would never engage in a relationship with her, of course, but a man could dream.

**Edward POV**

It had been a long day, longer than a day should ever be allowed to last. First, it started out pretty good, I was actually enjoying myself. That only lasted until Isabella Swan came on stage again and blowed my mind away.

Alice had asked me about my irratic behavior, again, but I didn't answer. Luckily, I was saved by Emmett - that was a first. Since then, I hardly noticed any of the other contestants - my thoughts were solely on Bella.

We judged 40 acts out of the total of 160 acts we put through to this round, of which we could only send 10 to the semi-finals. Amungst the 40 acts, there were 2 acts I had no doubt would be in the semi's or even the finals: Isabella Swan (of course) and Rosalie Hale (she had been even better than on her first audition).

Now, we were deciding which 10 out of the 40 of today would go through to the semi's, a week from now. We had pictures and notes of all the contestants, so we would easily know who we were discussing.

We had agreed on the first 6 contestants so far; they were not good enough to go through. Now, however, we were in a heated discusion about the 7th contestant we had seen today. Her name was Suzie Weatherly - a ventriloquist, a pretty good one. During her first audition, she had come on stage with 2 large poppets and had almost send me into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. One of her poppets was a mini-me version and the other was one of Alice. She did a pretty funny act and her voices were damn close to our real voices. I liked her.

Her act today had been as entertaining, I thought. She had brought enlarged versions of the Ken and Barbie dolls with her and did a spectacularly funny version of Barbie Girl by Aqua. I had laughed my ass off. The only problem now was Alice - she thought the act was too childish and not good enough to go to Vegas. Emmett and I dissagreed with a firy passion in our hearts.

"But it's so silly!" Alice whined at a given moment when she noticed she wasn't getting anywhere with Emmett and I. She thought the pitty-me routine would work on us as it always did - not this time, though. This time, Em and I stood our ground.

"She's hilarious! She needs to go to the semi's!" Em exclaimed, by which I punched my knuckles against his in a brotherly fashion. We were winning, we knew it and it felt great! Usually, Alice won all arguements - she was very convincing.

"Fine, you know what?! I give up! Send her through - she'll never make the finals!" Alice surrended, by which Emmett guffawed and I grinned a huge grin. I couldn't wait to tell Jasper - Alice' husband and soul mate in so many ways - that we actually beat her in an arguement; he would have a field day.

After that, we couldn't seem to stop arguing on every act we had to decide about, except when we came to Rosalie Hale - she was the only one so far we had simultanuously agreed on to send to Vegas. She deserved to go and we all knew it.

We spend hours and hours in a row arguing about the fate of the other until we finally reached the name I had been waiting for to hear - the name, I realized, I had been aching for to hear. Isabella Swan - Bella.

"By far the best singer/song writer we've come across since the start of this show. She HAS to go to Vegas," Emmett concluded - when he said someone was talented, he was right. And this time, he had never been more right, I thought.

"I completely agree, she's either going to place first or second. It could very well come down to her and Rosalie Hale. They're the best out of the entire competition, I think," Alice said, and I realized she was right - it would most likely come down to Bella and Rosalie and I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want my Bella's chances to be jeapordized. Wait! What?! _My _Bella?! I really was going crazy!

"She's amazing," I said with a sigh, more to myself than the others, but they heard me. We quickly put her with the others we had decided to put through so far and continued with the rest of the contestants who's fate still remained in our hands.

**Bella POV**

It had been hours and the judges still hadn't made a decision; everyone was really nervous and scared to find out what their next step would be: go home or go to Vegas. That was the question circling in everyone's minds; where would they be a week from now?

However, I wasn't thinking of that at all - strangely, I was thinking of Edward Cullen again. I was thinking of his reactions during both my auditions. I was completely baffled by them, I didn't understand him at all. Nor did I understand why my thoughts kept going back to him.

Sure, he was handsome and mysterious and a great singer/songwriter, a true inspiration. But I liked a lot of artists like that, so why couldn't I stop thinking of him? It was becoming rather annoying, I had to admit.

I heard a a few numbers being called and realized I was one of them. I stood up and followed a large group to the area where we had held our audition. Once we were in the room, standing before the judges, my eyes involuntarily went to Edward. He was staring right back at me and his eyes were enchanting, I couldn't tear myself away. I hardly heard what the judges said, I was somewhere else in my mind.

It was only when the whole room filled with different acts started cheering, I realized the judges had given us good news - we were going to the semi-finals. We were going to Vegas. A small smile formed on my face and it shocked me when Edward acknowledged the smile with one of his own. I was in a frozen state as the rest of the room continued cheering and screaming.

"Bella? Isabella?!" I heard someone call my name - Alice, who was looking from me to Edward. I realized the room had gone silent and when I looked around me, noticed everyone had gone already while I was standing there looking like a dumb idiot.

A nervous giggle escaped from my lips. "Oh, euh, thanks," I said and then walked off the stage as fast as I could without tripping. I could have sworn I heard someone laugh behind me, but I didn't know for sure. All I could think about was how my Edward had smiled at me.

Hold on! What the hell was that?! _MY _Edward?! I was seriously loosing my mind!

_**A/N: Well, I hope you liked it and please review. Here's the deal:**_

_**5 reviews: short chapter**_

_**10 reviews: normal chapter (come on, I know you can do it!)**_

_**15 reviews: long chapter (I'll sing you a song if you do that, though you might want to run away in terror then)**_


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome Home, Isabella Swan!

**_A/N: Thanks for the reviews and sorry for the long wait, it won't happen again. I hope you like this next chapter and I suggest you listen to the songs as you read; it's more fun that way._**

**_Songs used:_**

**_Fly by Hilary Duff - dedicated to twitween who suggested it.  
Be Somebody by Paula Cole  
High School Never Ends by Bowling For Soup_**

**Chapter 4: Welcome Home, Isabella Swan!**

**Edward POV**

We gave the 10 acts that made it through to the semi-finals the good news - well, Alice and Emmett did, I was too busy staring into Bella's magnificent eyes. When the room errupted in loud cheers, Bella's face turned momentarily confused, but then the corners of her lips turned up in a small smile as she continued to stare right back at me. I couldn't help myself, I returned the smile.

We were in our own worlds, getting lost in each other's eyes - no, each other's souls. We never even noticed the room had cleared out until Alice called out Bella's name. She blinked several times, turned to Alice, then looked around the room in shock as she realized she was the only remaining act on the stage.

She giggled nervously before speaking, "Oh, euh, thanks," she stuttered; it was adorable. She then left and Emmett barked out a loud laugh for which I glared at him - how dare he laugh at her? And why did I even care? What on earth was happening to me?

"You're so whipped man," Emmett laughed as I continued my glare and Alice looked at me with confusion and slight concern. Emmett's words bothered me; why? I had no freakin' idea and it was slowly driving me crazy.

I tried to focus after that as we had to give the other 30 contestants the bad news - they didn't make it through. I was sure there would be a lot of crying and cursing, so I had to prepare myself for that. And hopefully, my thoughts wouldn't continue to travel back to Isabella Swan.

_'I wonder if she has a middle name...' _I thought and so there I went again, thinking about Bella. I was so losing it!

**Bella POV**

After another good audition and freaky afternoon due to the presence of Edward Cullen, I grabbed a plane back to Port Angelos - it was the fastest way - where Angela picked me up and drove me back to Forks.

Apparently, after I had called Charlie to let him know the good news, he organized a town party for me, much to my dismay. I didn't feel like partying, I wasn't that girl, but I guess I had no choice.

I went to mine and Angela's appartment - we had been living together for 4 years now, eversince we were 20 - showered and got dressed for the party.

I dressed simple; a blue, satin dress which came to my knees and a pair of blue shoes with a very small heel. It was just small enough so I wouldn't trip. I put no make-up on; I wasn't a fan of the stuff.

"Ready Bells?!" Angela yelled from the living room. I wanted to yell back NO, but I couldn't, I couldn't dissapoint everyone. I walked into the living room and saw my cases with my keyboard and guitar were standing next to Angela. What was she up to?

"Angela? Why did you move my instruments?" I asked, wary of the answer.

"Well, er, it's, well, the thing is...," Angela was trying to keep the answer from me; I wouldn't have that.

"Just spit it out, Ang," I said through gritted teeth; this better not be as bad as I thought it would be.

"Charlie invited the local news station and they want some footage of you with your equipment, that's all," she blurted out in a rush, hardly understandable. But I understood, and no, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, it was worse! News camera's? Seriously?!

"That's it, I'm not going. Tell everyone I'm sick or something. I'm bailing," I said, determined to keep myself out of the spotlight; I'd have enough of that on the talent show. That was, if I made it past the semi's.

"You can't bail, Bella. Everyone is expecting you. Think of how it would hurt Charlie's feelings," she said, pulling out the dad card. I glared at her, but nodded and sighed. She was right, I couldn't hurt Charlie like that. He was only trying to show how proud he was of me.

"Fine, let's go," I said, grabbing my purse and instruments and made my way over to my car along with Angela - we were driving together so we could leave together, it was easier that way.

***

An hour later, I was in a bad mood, standing on a stage in the center of town where the party was going on. Angela had lied; they didn't want to film my instruments, they wanted to film me while I sang. Even worse, I had no way out of it; Charlie promised everyone I would perform for them. After all, I was a member of this town and in this town, people did things for other people.

So now, here I stood, trying to think of which song I wanted to sing while taking deep breaths to calm myself down. _'Damn my stupid nerves!' _After some deliberating, I decided which song I would sing for them.

"Hi Forks! First I want to say it's good to be home. Now, I will sing a song called Fly. It's a song about dreams, and when you have one, all you have to do is reach out, spread your wings and just go for it. I hope you all like it," I said, explaining the reason's behind the song. I like this one a lot, it's one for hope, I thought.

I began playing on my guitar and sang my heart out - even though I didn't exactly wanted to do this right now, none of that mattered when I sang. When I sang, it was just me and no-one else.

_'Any moment everything can change  
Feel the wind on your shoulder  
For a minute all the world can wait  
Let go of your yesterday'_

People started cheering and holding up lighters as I sang. I had to admit, it felt good to reach people with my music.

'Can you hear it calling?  
Can you feel it in yourself?  
Can you trust this longing?  
And take control

_Fly open up the part of you that wants  
To hide away'_

I always wanted to hide, blend in to the background. I guess that time was over.

_  
'You can  
Shine,  
Forget about the reasons why you can't in life  
And start to try cause it's your time  
Time to fly_

All your worries leave them somewhere else  
Find a dream you can follow  
Reach for something when there's nothing left  
And the world's feeling hollow.'

I couldn't have written anything more true. Dreams were meant to follow, not ignore. Worries weren't important compared to that.

'Can you hear it calling?  
Can you feel it in your soul?  
Can you trust this longing?  
And take control  
Fly open up the part of you that wants  
To hide away  
You can  
Shine  
Forget about the reasons why you can't in life  
And start to try cause it's your time  
Time to fly'

'And when you're down and feel alone,  
Just wanna run away,  
Trust yourself and don't give up,  
You know you better than anyone else'

I trusted myself more than anyone else, I knew who I was, I knew what I was capable of and the past just didn't matter anymore. I wouldn't give up!

'Any moment everything can change  
Feel the wind on your shoulder  
For a minute all the world can wait  
Let go of yesterday

Fly open up the part of you that wants  
to hide away  
You can  
Shine  
Forget about the reasons why you can't in life  
And start to try, fly,  
Forget about the reasons why you can't in life,  
And start to try, cause it's your time,  
Time to fly.'

I paused for a second, taking in everyone's proud faces, then sang the last line.

'Any moment, everything can change.'

The croud errupted in applaus and cheers, I blushed, of course. I thanked them and prepared to get off stage and away from the local news camera when everyone started shouting for an encore. I looked toward Angela and my dad who both nodded, incouraging me to continue. I figured it couldn't hurt, so I thought of another one of my songs I wanted to sing.

The next song I would sing could be called a religious song, though I wasn't really a believer in God. I wrote it because of all the bad stuff that happened in the world and how I wanted to make a difference and be able to help people.

"This next song, is about the world and how I want to be somebody to help make it better. I hope you like it," I said and started to play on my keyboard and sing.

_'I want to be somebody  
I want to make a difference_

Little boy caught in a drive-by  
Witnessed the killer who made his daddy die,  
And 'cause he identified and signed the dotted line,  
He could feel it in his stomach, he signed away his life  
Little boy who once was the leader of his class  
The little source of joy, always neatly dressed  
Now would hang his head and be left crying at his desk,  
Was found with his mother, lying in her lap  
With two bullets in his chest '

I heard about this boy in the news and cried for hours, enraged that someone could do such an awful thing. It was then that I felt obligated to make a difference to this sometimes cruel world.

'And,oh my god,what is this madness?  
I will not let it kill by gladness  
And,oh my god, what is this madness?  
My joy inside will send this message

I want to be somebody  
I want to make a difference,  
For we all are children of the Mother  
I want to be somebody  
I want to make a difference,  
For we all are children of the Father'

No one person could change the world, but maybe, through my music, I could make a difference. Maybe I could reach out to people through my lyrics.

'Outspoken man, leading sisters and brothers,  
Picked himself up from hustling,drugs and gutters  
Doing time on the inside, he found a higher power  
Now, back with a mission to help us help each other

Respected from bourgeoisie to homeless in the street  
From universities, Africa, the Middle East  
And through the threats of death he spoke truth and set men free  
But the power of the truth made enemies of the weak  
He was killed by his own people'

I was disgusted when I read about this; this man who was doing something great with his life and was just murdered for nothing. Why?

'And, oh my god, what is this madness?  
I will not let it kill my gladness  
And, oh my god, what is this madness?  
My joy inside will send this message

I want to be somebody  
I want to make a difference,  
For we all are children of the Mother  
I want to be somebody  
I want to make a difference  
for we all are children'

What was wrong with this world? Killing innocents, hurting each other. Madness in schools where students, children, brought guns with them and shot other kids. Mothers and fathers killing their children. Husbands killing theirs wives. People stealing and cheating. Why couldn't there just be peace? Why couldn't someone make a difference?

'Ignite This Fire inside, this light that is the Truth  
Shake off the system's chains, no longer be their fool  
In the face of brutality, show the other cheek  
Trigger-happy policing will never kill our dignity '

I sang with more passion during this verse; it was my favorite. No matter what happened in the world, good people still existed. I believed that.

'And,oh my god, what is this madness?  
I will not let it kill my gladness  
And, oh my god, what is this madness?  
My joy inside will send this message

Lift up your heart and See  
Open your heart and See  
Lift up your voice and Sing...

I want to be somebody  
I want to make a difference,  
For we all are children of the Mother  
I want to be somebody  
I want to make a difference,'

I finished with tears in my eyes; this was such a meaningful song that I could hardly believe I had written it. I looked around and saw several people, including Angela and Charlie (though he tried to hide it) cry. I was touched by their reactions.

I decided I would give them one last treat and sing one last song.

"Okay, so, as a gift, I'll sing one last song. I won't be playing any instruments because I have a track I made which has all the perfect instruments on it. This song is a little more upbeat and not meant to offend anyone. It's just the, er, truth, in my opinion," I said, hoping I wouldn't enrage anyone.

I put in the track, pressed play and started singing.

**Edward POV**

I was sitting home, on the couch, bored, flipping through the channels on my plasma screen tv. Nothing good was on so I kept flipping, all to keep my mind off the Swan girl.

Turns out, I wouldn't be able to keep my mind off her as I flipped to a channel where none other than Bella Swan was on. I didn't know what channel it was (I had lots of channel's due to my satelyte dish) but I kept on watching.

A woman appeared before the screen, which kind of annoyed me because she blocked my view on Bella, and spoke, _"Welcome to Forks' Local news report. My name is Jessica Stanley and I am here at a town gathering where we are celebrating the return of our very own music sensation Isabella Swan a.k.a. Bella. She has honored us with our grace and now she will sing for us. Let's have a look," _The reporter called Jessica said and the camera turned back to Bella who was about to say something. I sat up straighter and listened.

_"Hi Forks! First I want to say it's good to be home. Now, I will sing a song called Fly. It's a song about dreams, and when you have one, all you have to do is reach out, spread your wings and just go for it. I hope you all like it," _Bella said and I was thrilled; I couldn't wait to hear her sing. It was confusing and bordelining on obsessive. But I couldn't help myself, I was addicted to this girl I knew only through her eyes and the one song she sang me.

The song was beautiful, her voice was majestic and her lyrics were exquisite. I suddenly found myself hoping this would not be the only song she would sing. When she finished, I was dissapointed when she began to walk away, but then the crowd cheered for an encore and were granted it, which made me all giddy inside. Wait, did I just think of the word 'giddy'? Oh, I did. Crazy.

_"This next song, is about the world and how I want to be somebody to help make it better. I hope you like it," _she said, then sang. The words were so moving, I couldn't contain my tears; I cried like a little baby. This was rare and weird; I never cried, never.

I thought this would be her last song, but then she surprised me by her next statement. _"Okay, so, as a gift, I'll sing one last song. I won't be playing any instruments because I have a track I made which has all the perfect instruments on it. This song is a little more upbeat and not meant to offend anyone. It's just the, er, truth, in my opinion." _

Now I was curious; why did this angel think she'd offend someone by her wonderful lyrics? I turned up the volume a little and listened intently. Just the beginning of the music track shocked me because it was so different. Then, as she began to sing, I doubled over with laughter. Bella Swan sure knew how to shock people.

_'Four years you think for sure  
That's all you've got to endure  
All the total dicks  
All the stuck up chicks  
So superficial, so immature  
Then when you graduate  
You take a look around and you say HEY WAIT  
This is the same as where I just came from  
I thought it was over  
Aw that's just great'_

Did she just say the word 'dick'? This sure was different from her other songs, but I liked it... a lot.

'The whole damn world is just as obsessed  
With who's the best dressed and who's having sex,  
Who's got the money, who gets the honeys,  
Who's kinda cute and who's just a mess  
And you still don't have the right look  
And you don't have the right friends  
Nothing changes but the faces, the names, and the trends  
High school never ends'

Her words sounded true in my ears. And fucking hilarious!

'Check out the popular kids  
You'll never guess what Jessica did  
How did Mary Kate lose all that weight  
And Katie had a baby so I guess Tom's straight  
And the only thing that matters  
Is climbing up that social ladder  
Still care about your hair and the car you drive  
Doesn't matter if you're sixteen or thirty-five'

Ha! She was so totally making fools out of celebrities! That girl had some nerve and I loved it!

'Reese Witherspoon,  
She's the prom queen  
Bill Gates,  
Captain of the chess team  
Jack Black, the clown  
Brad Pitt, the quarterback  
I've seen it all before  
I want my money back'

OMG! My stomach hurt from laughing so much. Who knew Bella Swan had _this _in her?

'The whole damn world is just as obsessed  
With who's the best dressed and who's having sex,  
Who's in the clubs and who's on the drugs,  
Who's throwing up before they digest  
And you still don't have the right look  
And you don't have the right friends  
And you're still listen to the same you did back then  
High school never ends'

_Could it get any better?_

'High school never ends'

As I looked at the screen, the camera moved around and showed almost the entire town holding their stomachs trying to stay upright as they couldn't contain their laughter.

'The whole damn world is just as obsessed  
With who's the best dressed and who's having sex,  
Who's got the money, who gets the honeys,  
Who's kinda cute and who's just a mess  
And I still don't have the right look  
And I still have the same three friends  
And I'm pretty much the same as I was back then  
High school never ends'

Jezus Christ! Who the hell was this girl? She never did anything I expected her to do. She was a mystery to me. A mystery I wanted so bad to unravel. Why? NO. FUCKING. IDEA.

'High school never ends'

'High school never ends'

'Here we go again'

Bella thanked her audience and left after that. I sighed, turned of my tv and headed to bed for a night filled with no sleep and thoughts of this girl who got to under my skin for some reason. It sure would be interesting when I would see her again.

**_A/N: So, I hope you liked it and if you have any song suggestions, feel free to tell me. Until next time, bye!_**


	5. Author's Note

_**Author's Note:**_

_Hi, everyone. First of all, I want to apologize for the slow updates. I realize that you are waiting for new chapters and I am dissapointing you all. I just want to assure everyone that none of my stories are on hiatus (especially my beloved Twilight stories, but also the OTH ones and the Charmed one), I just have trouble writing for some. I also want to explain why I haven't been writing much lately._

_I just want to say that I love to write; it's my number one passsion, has been since I was a child. And lately I had been wondering; why? Why do I even write? Why do I do something that's not worth anything to anyone? But I realized I was acting stupid (which is nothing out of the ordinary for me) since it is worth something to someone; it's worth something to the people who follow and read every chapter with dedication for the story I write, which is simply heartwarming. I love all my readers and without you, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere near this far with my writing. So, thank you. You'll never know how much all your support means to me._

_And I do it because I love it, it's as simple as that. I guess I had forgotten that somewhere along the way. I just needed a few reminders. I'll never stop writing and I will finish each story currently on my account._

_My main focus stories right now are:_

_Captivity  
__They'll Never Know  
__Concrete Angel_

_It's not because of the reviews they receive or something; it's just because I have them all worked out in my mind. So those will be updated the most, the rest will have slower updates but I will update them. I promise you. And I don't lie; if I make a promise, I stick to it. No matter how hard it may be sometimes._

_So, until I post again (which will be a story chapter). I hope you forgive me for my slow updates and I will work as hard as possible to update more from now on._


	6. Chapter 5: Slipped Away

**Chapter 5: Slipped Away**

**Edward POV**

Today was the first of 4 semi-finals and I was nervous as hell. Not to find out who the 3 acts were that would go through to the final 12 today, no, but because one of the acts today was Isabella Swan. For the past 6 weeks, she has been all that has occupied my mind.

Alice has been continuesly bugging me to no end to tell her what was going through my mind, but I couldn't tell her, for she'd think I'd completely lost all my marbles. I usually told everything to my sister, however, this time, something was stopping me. It was like I _didn't _want anyone to know, out of fear these freakish feelings would evaporate. Emmett hadn't questioned me about it so far, but he had given me these all knowing looks that I wanted nothing more than beat off his face.

There had been dozens more interviews about me and Bella, some even speculating we had an affair, which was a joke since I didn't even know the girl at all, though I wanted too, desperately. Poor Bella had been harrassed almost as much as me these past weeks, sometimes due to her singing performances, but mostly due to me and how I reacted so weird whenever she was around. However, I found it strangly comforting that some reports showed moments where she seemed as dazed by my presence as I was by hers.

The producers had investigated my alleged affair and came to the conclusion it was nothing more than petty gossip. Still, they cautioned me about acting more normal when Bella came in to play, even though they had amazing viewer rating because of it. It had been stated that more and more people watched to see Bella's interaction with me, though there was none.

In a few hours, I would see her again, and for once, I hoped I would not act like a mute idiot when I saw her. I _really _hoped I wouldn't see her before my performance - I was kicking off the show with one of my favorite songs I'd ever written - because that would do me no good at all. I could hope.

**Bella POV**

"Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god...," I kept repeating over and over again as I paced around the make-up room of the studio where I would have to perform tonight, waiting for my turn in the make-up chair.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Some guy next to me mumbled and rushed off to the bathrooms. I kept up my pace; I was freaking out. I could not do this! I could not sing for millions of people on live television! Not to mention those in the audience. And Edward, oh god, I almost felt sick! I could not sing in front of Edward; I would make a fool out of myself! Why did I even care about what he thought?! Ugh, I was so stupid! This was a mistake! I can't sing! What was I thinking?!

"You have an amazing voice," A chipper, high, bells-like voice sing/sang from behind me. I turned around and stood face to face with Alice Cullen, Edward's sister. No! Stop it now! Stop thinking of him! Why did she say I have an amazing voice? Did I say my entire rant out loud or just the end of it? Oh god, I hoped I just said the end of it aloud.

"Thanks," I mumbled, blushing a crimson red - I hated it when I blushed, which was basically all the time. She smiled at me and skipped off, literally skipped. Who does that anymore? She sure is different. Wait! Why was she here? What did she want? Probably something with the make-up people, yeah, that's it.

"Isabella Swan." My name was called for my make-up session and the lump in my throat grew bigger. After this, I just had to dress, and then it was show time. Oh god, kill me now. I groaned as I sat down and scowled at the mirror, yes, at my own reflection. My make-up woman, whatever you called her, giggled, but made no further comment. Good. This was going to be a very long night.

**Edward POV**

James Callahan, the host of the show, was welcoming people and was about to introduce the judges. Then I would sing. Personally, I hated James - he and I did not get on at all - but the producers thought he had 'charisma', so they gave him the job. I almost quit when I heard, if it hadn't been for Alice, I _would _have quit. But Alice can be very scary when she wants, so I caved and stayed on the show. What a great decision that turned out to be, I thought, sarcasticaly. I was an emotional wreck, all because of _one _contestant, and I had no idea why.

Alice was called and she danced her way to the judges' panel, sat down and waved at everyone, before calming down slightly so the only thing you could see her doing was bouncing up and down her chair slightly.

When Emmett came on, he let out a booming, redundant laugh and sat down next to Alice, hugged her, then leaned back in his chair. It was my turn now.

_"And now! The man we've all been waiting for! Give it up for Edward Cullen!" _James yelled, smiling and clapping as he introduced me, as if he actually liked me. He left the stage temporarily as I took the spotlight with my guitar at hand and the band setting up behind me.

"Good evening everyone. It feels so good to be here tonight, and I'm thrilled to see all the acts that will come. I want to sing a song for you now. It's called _Quasimodo_ and it's basically about standing on your own without anyone telling you who you should be," I spoke, then winked - I enjoyed talking to audiences, it helped me ease into my performance. They clapped for a while and once they finally died down, I nodded to the band. Music began to play from both the band and my guitar I was holding. Soon, I was singing and forgetting about the world, just as I loved.

_'You could be right and I'll be real  
Honesty won't be a pain  
You'll have to feel 'cause I  
don't need your approval to  
find my worth'_

Alice and I were adopted when we were 7 (we're twins) and to say that our childhood was bad, would be an understatement. Our father was an abusive, drunken bastard; he never layed a hand on Alice, thank god. She knew he hurt me, badly, but she never knew the full extent of it. Needless to say, I always felt as if I had to gain his approval, until Alice finally made me see that I didn't need a damn thing from him. We were taken away from him soon after, thank god.

_  
'I've been trapped inside of my own mind  
afraid to open my eyes 'cause of what I'd find  
and I don't want to live like this anymore'_

I got into some bad shit involving drugs and alcohol, trying to escape from the memories of the past. I finally saw I was heading down the wrong path and cleaned up my act.__

'There goes my pain  
There goes my chains  
Did you see them fall  
'Cause there goes this feeling that has no meaning  
There goes the world off of my shoulders  
There goes the world off of my back

There it goes'

I was always carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, even though I didn't need to. Eventually, I was able to let go.__

'Does it scare you that I can be something different than you  
Would it make you feel more comfortable if I wasn't  
You can't control me you can't take away from me who I am'

I always wondered why my father did the things that he did. Was he angry that I wasn't exactly as him? That I was more like my mother who'd died at childbirth? Did he do it to gain control over me?  
_  
'There goes my pain  
There goes my chains  
Did you see them fall  
'Cause there goes this feeling that has no meaning  
There goes the world off of my shoulders  
There goes the world off of my back'_

'You can't change me  
You can't break me  
There goes the world off of my shoulders  
There goes the world off of my back'

He'd come close, but he never broke me, not really. I was still me; damaged, yes, but me nonetheless. I found comfort in that.__

'Have you ever felt like your only comfort was your cage  
You're not alone I have felt the same as you  
Have you ever felt like your secrets give you away  
You're not alone I have been there, too  
Everyone is looking and  
Everyone is laughing but I think  
Everyone feels the same  
Everybody wants to feel okay  
Everybody wants to  
Everybody wants to feel'

Writing this song was one of the most difficult things I'd ever done, but I got through it. Thanks to Alice and our adopted parents, Carlisle and Esme, who were lovely. I got through it and wrote down what I was thinking.__

'There goes my pain  
There goes my chains  
Did you see them fall  
'Cause there goes this feeling that has no meaning  
There goes the world off of my shoulders  
There goes the world off of my back'

'cause I don't want it  
I don't want it

You can't change me  
You can't break me

There goes the world off of my shoulders  
There goes the world off of my back  
There it goes'

In the end, when I finished this song, I was freed of my burdens. They were still there, weighing down on me, but they no longer controlled me; I was the one in control now.

The audience clapped as I finished the song; I nodded to everyone and walked off stage to join my sister and Emmett. They both smiled encouragingly at me; they were the only ones, besides Carlisle and Esme, who knew what the song was about and how much it meant to me. They were always proud of me when I sang it, knowing how far I'd come from the past.

James came back on stage and announced the first artist by which my heart skipped a few beats upon hearing who it was - Isabella Swan. Bella was the first one to perform, I didn't know that. I was hoping she'd be the last, so I wouldn't have to worry about concentrating on the other acts, all that hope was gone now. I would have to stay strong and not let my freaky emotions take control.

She came on stage and was beautiful, more feminine than usual, but still as perfect as the first time I'd seen her. She was wearing this exquisite blue dress, that matched the color of her hair and eyes better than any color I'd ever seen on her. She had make-up on, but not too much, just enough to give her that final touch of perfection. She seemed extremely nervous as she took to the stage, waiting to start and give the band the start sign. She took a seat behind the piano, took a deep breath, exhaled, then spoke.

**Bella POV**

God, I was even more nervous than before Edward's performance - how was I supposed to compete with that? Okay, so I wasn't exactly competing with him, but it felt like it after the encridible performance he just gave. I focussed myself on keeping my gaze away from him; I couldn't afford to choke up now and embarrass myself infront of all America. I stood behind the microphone and calmed myself before I began. The band was playing my music and I was singing. It was good this way, because otherwise I would have had to bring one of my tracks, since there are too many instruments for me to play alone.

"Hi. I'm so fortunate to be here tonight and to have all the support I have behind me. This song is called Slipped Awayand is dedicated to the memory of my best friend, Jacob Black. I nodded toward the band, and they began to play. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and let the music fill my soul.

_'I miss you, miss you so bad  
I don't forget you, oh it's so sad'_

I still missed Jacob, terribly, and still thought about him every day. It wasn't fair that I lost him.

_  
I hope you can hear me  
I remember it clearly  
The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same'_

I can honestly say that the day I heard that Jacob had died in a motorcycle accident had been one of the worst days in my life. Not only did I have to experience the pain of loosing my best friend, but I had to experience the guilt of knowing that it was my fault, though everyone tried to convince me otherwise. But I was the one who started the whole motorcycle face, and while I had grown tired of it, Jacob hadn't... and it had ended up costing his life.__

'I didn't get around to kiss you  
Goodbye on the hand  
I wish that I could see you again  
I know that I can't'

There were still days when I half expected Jacob to show up at my doorstep and ask me if I wanted to hang out, even though I knew those days were long gone.

_  
'I hope you can hear me  
Cause I remember it clearly  
The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same'_

Jacob had been my best friend since I was 5 and I cried for him for months. I hardly survived loosing him. It was because of Angela and my dad that I was finally able to move on.__

'I've had my wake up  
won't you wake up  
I keep asking why'

In the end, no one could tell me why and no one would ever be able to. These things just happened, no reason behind it. Maybe it would have been easier if there had been a reason behind his death, instead of some pointless accident on a slippery freeway.

_  
'And i can't take it  
It wasn't faked  
it happened  
you passed by'_

For a while, after his death, I would have these random flashbacks of him, as if he were still with me. They disappeared once I learned to deal with his death, but for a while I had actually thought I was going crazy.__

'Now you're gone  
Now you're gone  
There you go  
There you go  
Somewhere I can't bring you back'

He was gone, and there was nothing I could do to change that. But I could honor him, and I did, with this song I honored him, and I knew he'd love me for it. And now, millions of people would know my tribute to him as well. The thought brough a smile to my face and tears in my eyes.__

'Now you're gone  
Now you're gone  
There you go  
There you go  
Somewhere you're not coming back'

He is gone. I've accepted it.__

'The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same  
The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same'

I've accepted it. Still, nothing would ever be the same again. Not without my Jacob, not without my sun. __

'I miss you.......'

By the time I had finished, a few tears had made it's way out and were falling down my cheeks. But I was too busy thinking of my best friend to care that the entire nation could see me cry. The entire audience was standing on their feet and were clapping, including the judges, as well as Edward, I noticed.

I glanced at him and noticed he was looking at me with an unreadable, yet somewhat sad expression. And yet again, I got so lost in his eyes that I couldn't see or hear anything else.

I faintly heard that James guy that was hosting this thing talk and say something about me and then the judges, though my mind didn't register what.

"Bella?" Alice snapped me back to reality and I turned to her with a sheepish smile, slightly angry that she broke my connection with Edward.

**Edward POV**

Bella's song was amazing and so sad. She said it was a dedication to her best friend Jacob Black. But the way she sung it, and the tears she cried when she was finished, made me wonder if they had been more than friends. And that thought made me feel oddly jealous, which in turn made me feel slightly disgusted with myself because she had clearly suffered a lot from the loss of her friend.

When she looked at me, her face tear stained and her eyes filled with sadness, I tried to keep my own features neutral, but I couldn't help but let a small sad expression slip through. We were staring so intently into each others eyes that I didn't hear a word that slimebag James said. It was only when Alice called out Bella's name, that our strange connection was broken and I couldn't help but feel annoyed with my sister for that.

"I must say, Bella, that this has been the best I've ever heard you sing. The emotion in your voice was so strong I felt the words in my own heart. I think your friend would be very proud of you right now," Alice said, smiling at Bella. Bella smiled back, a smile that lit up her entire face and I wished I could make her smile like that.

"You're a star, Bella, wether you know it or not, you are. And I have no doubt in my mind that you will go places, win this thing or not. I know we'll be hearing a lot more of you in the future," Emmett said and I couldn't help but smile at that. If he thought so, it was so. Like I said, he had an exelent eye for talent.

I realized it was my time to speak and I knew I couldn't act like some crazy mute like other times, so I took a deep breath, looked Bella in the eye and spoke.

"Bella, as a singer/songwriter myself, I can honestly say that I've never met someone as talented as you. Your lyrics go straight to the heart and the way you sing, you can tell you mean every word. You have an amazing voice and I agree with Emmett, win this competition or not, you are going places," I said and was amazed with myself that I got so much out at once. She looked me in the eyes for a little while longer, then looked away and uttered a brief thanks and walked off stage.

Now, it was time to see the other contestants and wait until we hear the results. But there was not a fiber in my being that was not positive that she would go through to the finals.


	7. Chapter 6: Dance With My Father Again

**Chapter 6: Dance With My Father Again**

**Bella POV**

The moment that I found out I was going through to the finals was one of the best and scariest moments of my life. And I knew I owed it all to Jake, and the inspiration he gave me to write that song. Because, if I had sung something else, I'm not sure I would've gone through. For once since a really long time, I was actually proud of myself. I felt strong again.

The show had finished for the night, and I was backstage with the other winners, Rosalie Hale and Jonathan Pierce - the ones who had lost had left already, we had to stay for an interview. I was just about to call my father to thank him for everything he'd done for me, because he was a huge reason why I was here. He hadn't been able to come with me because he'd been feeling a little off lately, but he'd been here with me in spirit the entire night, just as Jake was and all the others that I love.

Just as I was about to press the dial button, I felt a strong presence behind me, wakening all my senses. I spun around and came face to face with none other than Edward Cullen. I couldn't speak, as I once again find myself drowning in those beautiful, mesmarizing eyes of his. And it seemed like he had trouble finding words himself, because he too was staring at me the way I imagined I was staring at him. Or, he was staring at me because I was staring at him like a mute idiot. It could have been either one of those posibilities, I was just hoping for the first.

I finally convinced myself to say something to him, when my phone went off, ruining the moment. I silently cursed whoever was calling, annoyed they couldn't have called 10 minutes later.

"Hello?"

_"Bella? It's Angela,"_ My best friend's voice sounded through the phone. The moment I heard her voice, I forgot all about my annoyance and smiled. Of course she'd be one of the first to call and congratulate me.

"Oh, hey Ang. Did you watch the show? I got through, just like you said I would," I said, grinning, but still keeping eye-contact with Edward, who seemed to have a small smile on his face now as well.

_"Oh, yeah, I euh..., I saw. But that's not why I'm calling,"_ she said. It was only now that I heard the sadness in Angela's voice, and it sounded like she'd been crying, or she still was. Something was wrong.

"Angela, are you crying? What's wrong?" I asked, my smile vanished from my face as I spoke. I vagely noticed Edward's frown, but I was getting more and more focussed on my phone call and less aware of his presence near me.

_"Bella..., it's Charlie,"_ She said, sounding remorsful. By the tone of her voice, I knew that what she was about to tell me was going to be bad, but I couldn't jump to any conclusions yet. I had to assume it wasn't as bad as I was imagining.

"What about him?" I asked, keeping up a strong front, though I was already beginning to break on the inside. I was met with silence.

"Angela, is my dad okay?" I asked, my voice quivering slightly.

_"No, he's not. He had a heart attack tonight, Bella."_ The moment the words left her, I could feel the wetness of my tears against my skin. I wiped them away, harshly. I was determined to be strong. Charlie needed me.

"How is he? Is he okay?" I asked, afraid of the answer I might get.

_"No, he's not okay, Bella. I'm so sorry." _Her words were spoken with such finality, that I knew what she was trying to tell me. But I couln't let myself believe it. Not until I heard her say the words.

"What are you trying to say, Angela?" I let my tears flow freely now, I didn't care about being strong anymore.

_"He didn't make it, Bella. I'm so sorry. Charlie's dead." _I know Angela was still talking to me, but the moment the words 'Charlie's dead' left her mouth, I couldn't hear anything else. I couldn't see anything. Everything was getting dark, until the darkness consumed me. The last thing I heard was my name. Then I was gone.

**Edward POV**

After the show, I was walking backstage to my dressroom when I saw her. She had her back turned to me, but I instantly recognized her anyway. My heart was racing, my breathing irratic and my palms sweaty by the time she turned around. She had a cell phone in her hand, but all she seemed to notice was me.

I wanted desperately to say something to her, but I was lost for words again. I just didn't know what to say to this classic beauty before me. I was lost in her eyes. Her eyes that seemed to be a portal to the very dept of her soul.

Our moment was interrupted by the ringing of Bella's cell phone. I silently cursed whoever was dumb enough to have such terrible timing, and it seemed Bella had the same thoughts as myself as she glared at the phone before answering it.

However, the moment she answered the phone, a smile broke out on her face. It seemed that whoever was calling was someone Bella was close with. I was wondering if maybe it was her boyfriend calling. For some reason, the thought of Bella having a boyfriend was pretty upsetting for me.

But then her smile dissapeared, and I frowned. Was the person on the phone upsetting her? If so, I didn't like it one bit. I knew it was wrong of me to just stand there and try and listen to the conversation, but I simply couldn't get my feet to start moving. Apparenly, she was talking to someone named Angela - I was relieved it wasn't a guy - and this girl seemed to be crying over the phone. Bella was clearly worried for her friend.

Suddenly, Bella turned as pale as a ghost as she asked this Angela girl if her father was okay. Something had obviously happened. Something important enough to tell Bella on the evening she should be celebrating.

Bella asked a few more questions, each time pausing for an answer, and had begun to cry. I don't think she even noticed the audience she was attracting. By now, everyone backstage was looking at her, clearly interested in a show. I could see Emmett and Alice watching Bella with concerned expressions on their faces.

It all happened so fast. The phone slipped from her hands, Bella started to fall and I shouted her name as I rushed over to her, catching her before she hit the floor. Was she sick? Had she simply fainted? I didn't know.

Emmett and Alice joined me, and Alice picked up the phone after we could hear shouting coming from it.

"Hello, this is Alice Cullen speaking. It appears Bella has just fainted, do you know if she is ill?" Alice asked, the most friendly tone to her voice. I was looking at Bella, my heart breaking for her. Even unconsious, the expression on her face was one of utter and complete despair and heartache. I held her tightly in my arms as Emmett checked for a pulse - he said her pulse was good, steady.

"Oh, okay. Hmm, I understand. Yes, I can imagine why she fainted. Yes, we'll take care of her. I'll make sure she calls you when she's feeling better. Okay, thank you. Bye," Alice said with a sad undertone, then hung up and sighed.

"Bella's father died tonight. The news must have made her faint," Alice said, and my throat closed up. That was horrible, and on a night like this. My heart bled for this broken, beautiful person in my arms.

"Man, that's tough," Emmett sighed, shaking his head. I nodded, then stood up with Bella in my arms. The last thing she'd need right now is a crowd around her when she woke up. I told Emmett and Alice I was taking her to my room, where she could wake up in peace. They agreed and told me to take care of her.

I had just placed her down on my couch when she started to stir. She opened her eyes, sat up straight as she seemed temporarily confused, then she began to cry, which turned into full on sobbing. I couldn't help myself, I had to comfort her. I couldn't stand to see her like this. I sat down on the couch next to her and wrapped my arms around her. She hugged me back, crying into his shirt.

"He's gone," She sobbed over and over again. She clearly felt a great deal of love for her father, and I couldn't imagine what she was feeling. I'd never lost a parent. Not like that anyway.

"Shhh... It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay," I told her over and over again, hoping I wasn't lying. I hoped everything would be okay, that she would be okay through all of this.

**Bella**

It's been exactly 4 weeks since Charlie died and it were without a doubt the worst weeks of my life. The pain I had felt due to his death was even worse than the pain I'd felt after I lost Jake. I never knew it was possible to feel so much pain. I thought I'd already felt the worst of pains, but this was worse. This was 10 times worse.

The night Angela told me the news, I fainted, then woke up in an unfamiliar room, and before I knew it I had Edward Cullen's shirt ruined with my tears. I couldn't even remember how I ended up in his arms, I just did. He was terribly sweet about everything, and even arranged for me to be taken back to Forks on his private plane. Normally, the contestant going through to the final had to stay for interviews, and workshops and things like that, but these were different circumstances.

Before I left, they told me that IF I continued with the show, I only had to come back on the night of the first show of the Finals. That is, if I continued with the show.

My mom arrived in Forks just hours after I did, the day after my victory and Charlie's death. She came alone, without Phill, then proceeded to lock herself into Charlie's bedroom, crying for hours. She cried for days.

It was only then that I realized how much Renée, my mother, still loved Charlie. She never left him because she didn't love him anymore, like I had sometimes thought. She left him because she hated the town that he loved and refused to leave. Yes, she'd married someone else, but Charlie would forever remain her first and biggest love. Even throughout the years that they had been seperated, they talked almost daily. They were best friends. I knew now that the love she had for Phill - if she even really loved him that way - would never compare to the love she had and will always have for my father. He was the only one for her, still.

Seeing Renée in such an awful emotional state only made the pain worse. I was already hurting so much, and now I was hurting even more because she was hurting. She refused to go back to Phoenix, saying she needed to stay and take care of me, but I knew she just didn't know how to let go, and I didn't know how to help her with that, because I didn't know either.

The entire town came to the funeral, and, much to my dismay, dozens of reporters. The reporters wanted to know wether or not I was leaving the show. They wanted to capture my pain, for it would make for good television ratings. I hated those reporters taking advantage of my tragedy.

During the 3 weeks following the funeral, I closed myself off from everyone and cooped myself up in my music studio, working on a song for my father. It was a song that was very dificult to write, very emotional for me. But I had to write it, because I was going back to the show and singing it on the first show of the finals.

I didn't want to continue doing the show, but I know Charlie would have been disappointed if I quit because of him, especially after all the effort he put into convincing me to join it in the first place. So, in his honor, I decided to stay on as a contestant.

So now here I was, backstage, getting looked at with pity from everyone, waiting for my turn to sing. I was a nervous wreck, and this time it had nothing to do with going through or not, or with seeing Edward again. This time, it had everything to do with my father, and the song I would be singing for him.

"You're on," Someone said to me and I was pushed towards the stage. Taking a deep breath, I walked on. I didn't have a smile on my face this time. It would have been fake, anyway.

**Edward POV**

The moment Bella walked onto stage, dressed beautifuly in a long, black evening gown, I felt depressed because she wasn't smiling. She wasn't smiling and she didn't have any light in her eyes. She seemed so broken, and it depressed me to see her so unhappy. I wanted nothing more than to see her smile again.

"This past month has been one of the hardest in my life, and it's not easy for me to be standing here today. But, I know it's what Charlie would have wanted, so I hope I can make him proud, wherever he is now," She said, then the music started and she began to sing.

_'Back when I was a child  
Before life removed all the innocence  
My father would lift me high  
And dance with my mama and me and then  
Spin me around till I fell asleep  
Then up the stairs he would carry me  
And I knew for sure, I was loved.'_

Tears filled my eyes when I heard her sing. The lyrics had to be the most moving I'd ever heard in my entire life. She was singing this for her father, for her family, and you could hear it in my voice.__

'If I could get another chance  
Another walk, another dance with him  
I'd play a song that would never ever end  
How I'd love, love, love to dance with my father again.'

By now, I wasn't the only one crying. Bella had tears running down her cheeks, but she also had a small smile on her face as she thought of her father, and that comforted me. Alice was crying as well, though I wouldn't have expected anything else from my sister. The most surprising was Emmett. He never cried, so to see him cry now, was very strange and made this even more emotional.__

'Me and my momma would disagree  
To get my way I would run from her to him  
He'd make me laugh just to comfort me (ooh)  
Then finally make me do just what my mama said  
Later that night when I was asleep  
He left a dollar under my sheet  
Never dreamed that he would be gone from me.'

How she managed to write a song like this during such a dificult time and in such a short time span was mindblowing. I'm not sure I'd be able to do it.__

'If I could steal one final glance,  
One final step, one final dance with him  
I'd play a song that would never ever end  
How I'd love, love, love to dance with my father again.'

Bella's father would be proud of her, I knew that. He was probably smiling down at her right this moment.__

'Sometimes I'd listen outside her door  
And I'd hear how my mama cried for him  
I'd pray for her even more than me  
I'd pray for her even more.'

It amazed me how selfless Bella really was. Despite her own pain, she still found time to worry for her mother. On the news reports, I'd heard that Bella's parents were divorced, but when they showed footage of the funeral, I knew that Bella's mother was still very much in love with her father. Bella's mother had been the picture of heartbreak, as she'd cried in Bella's arms.__

'I know I'm praying for much too much  
But could you send back the only man she loved  
I know you don't do it usually  
But dear Lord, she's dying to dance with my father again.

Every night I fall asleep  
And this is all I ever dream... '

The entire crowd was on their feet and going wild by the time Bella finished. There was not a dry eye in the entire building, that was for sure. Bella was still crying, but the smile hadn't left her face yet, and I was very glad for that.

**Bella POV**

I swear I could feel my father's arms around me while I sang. And it made me smile, because that meant he hadn't left me after all. He was still with me, always and forever. He was still dancing with me. And I'd like to think he'd be proud of me, because that was the type of father he was.

"That was heartbreaking, Bella. Your father would be very proud of you right now," Alice said to me as she wiped away her tears. It amazed me that all the judges seemed to be in tears, as well as a lot of people in the audience.

"I don't cry very often, Bella. And I'm crying now, so I think that says a lot," Emmett said, and even though he didn't say anything about my performance, I knew that this was one of the biggest compliments I'd ever get from him. The fact that they all seemed to like my song meant more to me than they'd ever know. If they'd hated it, I would have been crushed.

"Bella, I honestly don't know how you do it. These last 4 weeks must have been very painful and I can't imagine what you went through. And the fact that you came up with a song like this during such a time steals my heart. I think that this song will become a worldwide hit. I don't think you could have made your father any more proud then he would have been at this very moment," Edward said and a sob left my chest. His words meant so much to me, much more than the words of Alice and Emmett and I was very grateful for what he said.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's note:**_

Hey, all. I know I promised I'd keep updating regularly and not disappear anymore, but there were things I just couldn't walk away from to write a story. My dad got sick, really sick, he almost died. He had to have this massive surgery and it was very touch and go for a while. I've been spending almost all my time with him in the hospital. He's only been home since last tuesday and he still has a lot of health problems we need to be careful off and has 3 nurses a day coming to take care of something still from the surgery. If my dad can get through this next month, through christmas and his birthday (January 1st) okay, then I'm back. If there's another setback, if he dies like they say is still a possibility due to some complications he could have, especially blood clots (he's had them before), then I don't know. I'll let you know at the beginning of January. Again, I'm very sorry, but my family is more important to me than a few stories. I love writing these stories, I do, but they're not the most important things in my life. Sometimes, you gotta set some things aside for more important things, which is what I've been doing these last months. Please bare with me for another couple of weeks, and then I'll let you know the outcome. Then I'll let you know if I'll be back or not.

Lots of love,

Lieselot.


End file.
